Moments in Time
by Ziva- Zia- Z
Summary: Moments frozen in memory, sometimes breathtaking, but never unwanted. Then there are moments you never expect- that take your breath away, but never for a good reason. Yes, life's built of moments, that build you up, that tear you down. It's b/c of those, you must learn to accept; move on, even when your heart's telling you no. Yes, 1 moment, it can change your life. Modern AU.
1. Chapter 1

**Moments in Time**

**Rifiuto: Non Miriena**

**Summary: Life can take you by surprise. A marriage proposal, the birth of a child, your eighteenth birthday, all are snatches in time, moments forever frozen in memory, of the unexpected, unplanned, sometimes surprising and breathtaking, but never unwanted. And then there are the moments you never expect- the moments that take your breath away, but never for a good reason. Yes, life is built of moments, moments that can build you up, and moments that can tear you down with one breath. It's because of those moments, that you must learn to accept, and move on, even when your heart is telling you not to. Yes, one moment, it can change your life. Completed last year, as part of my friend V's 9/11 novel challenge- I've just changed the original characters to fit her favorite movie characters. Modern AU.**

_"Hi! Say 'Hi', Mommy!" _

_"Hey, Anna." _

_"Man, Els, you look horrible." _

_"That's exactly what a new mother wants to hear just minutes after giving birth. Thanks a lot, Ans. You know who she's gonna take that out on? Me." _

_"I'm too tired to take anything out on anyone." _

_"So, where is he? Let me see my nephew!" _

_"You saw him, Anna! You just recorded the birth!" _

_"I know, but I didn't get to see him all cleaned up and pretty!" _

_"We let you film Nicky's birth, and you're still not satis- ow!" _

_"Let her be, Jack. Come here, Anna. Meet your nephew- Nicholas." _

_"Oh, Elsa, he's beautiful..."_

So many moments can change a person's life. The birth of my nephew Nicholas certainly changed mine, as well as my sister and brother-in-law's.

All for the better.

As I sit here, years later, closing in on the thirteenth anniversary of the attacks, I chose not to watch the numerous documentaries and remembrances on that dismal day that started out so beautiful, but on the life that had just begun, and the lives that would ultimately end. As I freeze the frame, my sister stares up at me; for all her exhaustion, she's smiling and absolutely... glowing, cradling her newborn son, her oldest, Nicky, in her arms, as her husband, Jack, sits beside her on the bed, pressing a kiss to her head, his arms around her.

Nicky's birth was a long, exhausting ten hours that started in their apartment in the Upper West Side at six that morning and ended in the Memorial Hospital at four in the early evening. I was eight, and it was the first time I'd ever seen anything even remotely as... astounding as a birth. I was staying with my sister and her husband in Manhattan while our parents- who lived in Staten Island- were off in Norway, playing ambassadors. See, our father was the American Ambassador to Norway; our grandfather had held the position, as had our great-grandfather and...

You get the picture.

Anyway, when our parents left, they asked my sister and brother-in-law if I could stay with them and go to school; I had to transfer to a nice new school on the UWS as I call it, and get settled- at first, I was afraid Elsa didn't want me, because she had a baby on the way, but Elsa, being Elsa, agreed. See, she was seventeen at the time, and had graduated high school two years earlier; going off to college at fifteen. It was nineteen-ninety-one, and I had just turned nine a month earlier.

I start the video again, biting my lip and watching in silence as Jack pulls away and leans over my sister's shoulder, reaching out to brush his finger against his son's tiny hand. _"He knows who his daddy is, don't you, little love?"_ Jack's laugh, that smooth tenor my sister loved so much fills my ears, and I watch as the baby wraps his miniscule fingers around his father's own index finger. To think, that back then, I hated Jack, simply for the fact that he took my sister away from me...

He'd met Elsa back when they were in elementary school; he'd pulled her braid and she'd shoved him into the dirt. Then, he moved away to Manhattan and they lost contact; they ran into each other at a coffee shop, when she was entering and he was leaving- he spilled his drink all over her white blouse and offered her his over shirt, at least, that's how Elsa always told it. By then, both in high school, they'd reconnected, and started dating. Then, two years prior to Nicky's birth, after my sister graduated from high school, they'd eloped to Queens. We'd lost touch, she and I, but then, a year and a half after they'd eloped, she showed up on our parents' doorstep, Jack by her side, asking for our parents' blessing. And Papa, always with a soft spot for my sister, turned a blind eye to her indiscretions, just happy to have her back in our lives.

So when my father accepted the position to Norway, the first person he turned to was Elsa, even though by then, she and Jack had been married for only about three years, and had a baby coming. But Elsa and Jack, they agreed to watch me, for however long the assignment was, no matter how chaotic things would get when the baby came. They agreed, because it was Elsa, and because Jack knew how close she and I were, no matter the years that separated us in age. And we lived, in a beautiful old brownstone that had belonged to Jack's great-grandfather- the same brownstone that Jack's parents had left him in their will. Both had died in a plane crash back when Jack was eighteen, and he'd basically raised himself; most thought he'd go on to be a delinquent or a criminal, but he got a job with the FDNY, and was doing pretty well for himself. And he absolutely loved my sister, which was a huge plus in my nine-year-old eyes.

As I sit on the sofa, watching as my sister and brother-in-law bask in the glow of new parenthood, I've begun to realize that at that moment in time, we were all... happy. And none of us- not Jack, or Elsa, or myself- had ever considered that we wouldn't be around to watch that baby boy grow up. And it wouldn't be until nearly ten years later that such a thought would cross any of our minds-

Or, that on a clear, beautiful, sunny Tuesday morning in the Financial District of Downtown Manhattan, three thousand lives would end, buildings would fall, and the skies would fill with smoke.

But none of us thought anything of the sort- not even when that moment stared us all in the face.


	2. Chapter 2

**Rifiuto: Non Miriena**

_September 11, 2001_

Tuesday morning, September Eleventh, Two-Thousand-and-One, started for me as any other day.

"... _You're on the road, but you've got no destination. You're in the mud, in the maze of her imagination. You love this town, even if that doesn't ring true. You've been all over and it's been all over you_..."

The sun shining through the curtains of my brother-in-law's brownstone, the sound of the shower running in their bathroom, the smell of French Toast wafting up from downstairs.

_"It's a beautiful day, don't let it get away... It's a beautiful day..."_

And my older sister Elsa, singing out of tune, along with the radio. Today, her vocal accompaniment was to a U2 song-_ Beautiful Day_, from an album they'd released a year earlier, _All That You Can't Leave Behind_. How exactly do I know that? Simple. Elsa had spent a year in middle school studying abroad in Ireland; she'd attended a secondary school and lived with a host family in Dublin. She'd traveled up to Belfast and seen them in concert at twelve years of age, and when she'd returned at the end of the school year, she'd told us that she'd been pulled up onstage by Bono during_ Bloody Sunday_ to sing with him. He'd given her his sunglasses and even signed them. And last year, she'd gotten some of the lyrics from _Beautiful Day_ tattooed on her side.

So to say my sister was a fan, well, that was an understatement. From what I could tell, she was one step short of obsessed.

The shower shut off, and I groaned, pulling my pillow over my head before forcing myself to sit up and climb out of bed. By then, one would think I'd be back with our parents in Staten Island, but no. Our parents were still in Norway; from what I was able to understand, an ambassadorship lasted until the ambassador died or was called back from wherever he came from. And as far I knew, our father had neither died nor been called back.

After finally getting dressed, I made my way downstairs towards the kitchen. My sister was still humming softly to herself as she set plates of French Toast on the breakfast counter in front of the boys. Nicky, almost ten, and Jakie, eight, sat at the counter, giggling about their mother's singing. My sister was already dressed for work, in a nice white blouse and black slacks, her hair pulled back in a nice braid. "'orning."

I still remember the look on my sister's face as she'd turned to me that morning, her song soon forgotten; she'd been giddy, happy, even though it was a day I dreaded. "Morning, Ans. Breakfast?" I wrinkled my nose.

"No thanks, Els." Instead, I slipped into the kitchen and reached for the coffee-

"You finally get up, birthday girl?" Still sipping my coffee, I turned as Jack entered the kitchen area, already dressed for work. He slipped his arms around my sister's waist, pulling her close to kiss her neck.

_"Eww! Gross!" _

_"Daddy! Mama! Get a room!"_ But all my sister did was giggle and reach up, tangling her fingers in his hair. When Jack pulled away, she met his gaze, pressing a soft kiss to his lips with a whispered, 'love you.' As I lowered my mug, he pulled fully away, going to each of his sons and pressing soft kisses to each blonde head before filling a travel mug with coffee.

"You're going in early?" Jack turned to me, blue eyes meeting mine. Of course, that's one of the things I found so fascinating about my brother-in-law; that his eyes were so startlingly blue, it was like looking into a lake.

"I always go in early, Ans. Don't worry, I'll be back from work in time for your birthday dinner." He gently ruffled my hair and I groaned; right, my birthday, I'd been _trying_ to forget. "You don't want to celebrate your birthday? Come on, kid, it's the big one-nine. You've gotta celebrate."

"The only birthdays worth celebrating are one, thirteen, sixteen, and twenty-one. And fifty, if you're lucky." I replied, raising an eyebrow. "There's nothing extraordinary about turning nineteen."

"Who said anything about being extraordinary? What are you expecting? Fireworks? It's up to_ you_ to make nineteen extraordinary, not anyone else."

I shrugged. "Besides, it won't be the same without Mom and Dad here." At that, my sister put the frying pan in the sink, quickly washed her hands, and turned to me.

"And why would Mom and Dad being here make any difference, Ans? They haven't been here for your last ten birthdays, what makes nineteen so important?" I shrugged. How could I possibly tell my big sister that it was _because_ they'd been gone for so long that I wanted them there? That I wanted my family- my whole family- together for my birthday? How could I _possibly_ tell her that? Elsa didn't understand, she'd fled Staten Island as soon as she could.

"I'll pick the boys up from school today, Elsie." We both turned as Jack interrupted us, came over, and pressed a kiss to my head, before pressing one last kiss to my sister's lips and leaving. Once he was gone, Elsa turned back to breakfast, picking up her own mug and taking a sip as the boys finished eating.

"Aren't you gonna eat?" She shook her head.

"I'll pick something up at work." That's right, my sister worked at- "Hey, once you two are done, go get your stuff. Aunt Anna and I will drop you off." Quickly finishing their toast, the boys put their dishes in the sink and rushed off to get their backpacks.


	3. Chapter 3

**Rifiuto: Non Miriena**

_"Good morning, Manhattan. It's September Eleventh, two-thousand-one, with not a cloud in the sky..." _My sister flicked off the radio as we drove through early morning New York traffic, headed for NYU after having dropped the kids off at school. I lived with my sister on the West Side, but attended college at NYU- on full scholarship for a photography and journalism degree. I'd chosen journalism because I was always fascinated with current events, and photography because I was always taking photographs, so I figured I might as well combine the two and put them both to good use.

"What do you say we stop for coffee before I drop you off?" I glanced at her, meeting her gaze before,

"Won't that make you late?" I had an English class at seven-thirty; you could look out the window and see the towers in the Financial District; I spent the majority of my time watching the towers instead of paying attention in class-

She shook her head. "Nah. I'm always one of the first there, it'll be fine. Besides, we can talk plans for your birthday dinner on the way." She glanced over her shoulder before merging into the left lane. "So, where do you want to go?" I shrugged, before turning my gaze back to the window. My eye was instantly drawn to those two beautiful towers in the heart of the Financial District- the World Trade Center, one of the biggest tourist attractions in New York, rivaled only by the Statue of Liberty. With their massive sheets of steel and metal, rising one-hundred-ten stories over Manhattan, the towers were the most beautiful buildings I'd ever seen- or so I thought at age four, when our parents took us to Windows on the World for dinner one night, and we rode the elevators up to the one-hundred-seventh floor, back in 'eighty-six.

And my sister, my beloved older sister, worked within those beautiful towers.

"Sorry, what'd you say, Els?" She snorted softly, shaking her head, as she pulled into the parking lot of a local coffee shop- Zoe's Café Ole Café- and put the car in park. She turned the car off and got out, tossing her braid over her shoulder.

"Where do you want to go for your birthday dinner tonight?" I quickly scrambled out after her, dashing to catch up as I tugged on my jacket against the early morning chill.

"Um... Windows?" She turned to me, holding the door open. Her blue eyes blinked slowly, as though they digested food instead of her stomach. I shifted under her gaze; that beautiful blue stare had always unnerved me- even when I was little. And when she spoke, I jumped, startled by the octaves her voice rose with one word.

"_Really_, Ans? _Windows_... _Why_?" I followed her inside, and before we even got to the counter, our drinks were waiting for us. The joys of being locals at our regular coffee shop. My sister quickly paid and then nodded her thanks to Zoe before looping her arm through mine and tugging me from the coffee shop, taking me back to the car. I looked at her, watching those bright blue eyes as they seemed to intensely examine the ground, trying to find the answers to the universe within; watching as she sipped her coffee, letting me gather my thoughts before speaking.

"Well, because my sister is a hostess and she can get us the best table in the restaurant- one that overlooks the harbor and the district- for one, and, for two, they have a_ killer_ bar-"

She glanced at me and then promptly shook her head. "_No_, Ans. You're only nineteen. Legal drinking age is twenty-one."

"Yeah, in_ Nevada_-"

"No. _Everywhere_."

I groaned, pulling away and turning to her. "Come on, Els. Please? It's just _one_ drink."

"_No_."

"Please?" She shook her head. Elsa could be such a mom sometimes. "A glass of champagne, then? _Please_, Els. It's my birthday." She stopped, thinking. And then, opened the door.

"Fine." She turned back to me. "One glass of champagne- _one_- no more, are we clear?" I nodded, eagerly climbing back into the car. The ride to NYU was dotted with Elsa singing along to the radio, snatches of silence, and conversations about what exactly I should wear for my birthday dinner. By the time we pulled into the parking lot at NYU, my sister had exhausted her voice for singing so loud, and it was only about seven or so in the morning. She walked me to my first class, slipping her arm around my waist. "I will be here to pick you up at noon."

"For what?"

"Well, it is your birthday. And you're my baby sister, so... I'm going to take you out to lunch, and then we are going to go shopping."

"But Elsa-" She quickly waved it away.

"If it's the money you're worried about, you forget, I have a good job. I can afford to splurge a little on my baby sister for her nineteenth birthday. And I don't want to hear any protests, got it?" I opened my mouth to speak, but she held up a hand. "No. No protests, are we clear?" Slowly, I snapped my mouth shut. "So, that sound good?" I studied her for a moment, before finally nodding.

"Okay."

"Good." Then, she took hold of my shoulders and pressed a big kiss to my head; I giggled. That kiss on the forehead was always Elsa's way of saying that she loved me- from the time I was a baby, she would take my shoulders and kiss my forehead, making a big show of it. My earliest memory is clapping my hands and giggling as she kisses my forehead after opening our Christmas presents, with our parents watching from the sofa. "I'll see you at noon."

I watched her dash off to her car, not realizing that we would never keep that lunch date.


	4. Chapter 4

**Rifiuto: Non Miriena**

As I made my way into my two-hour English class, I knew what my sister would be doing as I slid into my seat by the window, looking out towards the World Trade Center. I glanced quickly at my phone, sighing.

About seven...

While I was learning about Shelley and discussing the significance of Keats, she'd be making her way towards-

_7:30 A.M. _

_World Trade Center_

_ North Tower_

She pulled the glass doors open, tossing her braid over her shoulder as she made her way through across the lower lobby towards the upper mezzanine. "Good Morning, Elsa." She turned, smiling at the security guard.

"Morning, Sam. Just take over?" The older man chuckled.

"Yeah. Mike just left, lucky bastard." Elsa shook her head.

"But he had the night shift." She passed by him, turning back. "I'll see you later, Sam." He waved to her, watching as the young mother dashed towards the upper mezzanine. As usual, the building was already buzzing with activity, even at only seven-thirty in the morning. She rushed towards the elevators, managing to slip into one before the doors closed.

"You just made it, Mrs. Frost." She chuckled softly, turning to the man on her left.

"Good morning, Will. You're here early." The older man closed his paper and tucked it under his arm. Will Masterson worked for Marsh & McLennan, the brokerage firm that resided on floors ninety-three to ninety-nine of the North Tower. He'd been with the firm since seventy-seven, transferring from Chicago to New York eighty-nine. The older man with the salt-and-pepper hair and the wise hazel eyes knew everyone who worked in the towers- he'd made a point of learning the name of every employee, every security guard, every contractor and janitor, whether they worked on his floor or down in the basement. The father of four kids, he'd often go up to Windows on the World for lunch, and so knew all the staff personally.

"And so are you."

"Elsa is always here early." She glanced to her right, to find Amy Sanders smoothing her blouse. "How're the boys?" She nodded.

"They're doing good. How's Evan?" Amy shrugged.

"Already planning our Christmas vacation. He wants to take me to Fiji." Amy and Evan Sanders had only been married about a year; Evan worked for the Port Authority, at JFK Airport, so all that time spent around planes obviously put big ideas into his head about exotic places to travel. They'd been high school sweethearts, living just down the street from each other for years.

The elevator stopped at the ninety-fifth floor, and William got off, nodding to Amy and Elsa. The rest of the ride up to the one-hundred-seventh floor was quiet. As they stepped out into the lobby, Amy stopped, grabbing Elsa's arm. "We still on for lunch at Wild Blue?"

"Not today, Ames. It's Anna's birthday, and I'm gonna pick her up at noon so we can go shopping before lunch." Amy nodded.

"How old she gonna be?"

"Nineteen."

"Well, tell her happy birthday for me." Amy leaned close, pressing a kiss to Elsa's cheek before heading to Wild Blue, the restaurant she worked at on the same floor. Elsa whispered that she would before the two women parted ways; Amy heading for Wild Blue, Elsa for Windows on the World. The platinum blonde stepped into the spacious-yet-cozy restaurant, making her way towards the back to sign in before adjusting the black jacket she'd pulled on over her white blouse.

"Morning, everyone!" The various others of the restaurant staff nodded or replied as she made her way back to the front, stopping by the small register desk. As the top hostess of Windows on the World, Elsa took her job seriously, and often got to the restaurant an hour or two early to go over any planned conferences or events that day with the assistant General Manger, Christine Olender. The older woman had been the one to give Elsa the job at the established eatery, seeing the same potential in the young woman that everyone else saw. She looked on Elsa like a daughter, teaching her all she could. "Morning, Christine." The older woman looked up, giving her protégé a big smile as Elsa sidled up to her. "What do we have today?"

"The Risk Water Conference, remember?" Elsa nodded, leaning close to watch as the other woman quickly flipped through the events calendar. "It-"

"Starts at eight. Well, registration does, so we should have everything set up by then."

"You catch on quick." Christine said, giving the younger woman a warm smile, which Elsa returned with a blush.

"I have a good teacher." She swallowed. "I'll go make sure everything is set and ready for when the doors open." She gave the manger a small smile before turning and heading to start her task.

_8:45 A.M._

_NYU Campus_

As usual, my attention was diverted from our English lecture, drawn instead towards those beautiful towers. Elsa had said something about a conference of some sort conference that she would be serving that morning- nothing I was really interested in, though I'd pretended to be, because she was my sister. As I watched those skyscrapers, something drew my attention closer to the window. How could I possibly know that my nephews would also be watching through the windows of their own classrooms, as what everyone thought at first was an accident, turned into an-

"What the he-"

I heard the gasp, but didn't realize it was coming from me, as I watched a burst of flame explode from the North Tower.

_8:46 A.M._

_Windows on the World Restaurant_

_Floor 107_

_North Tower_

"Is there anything else I can-" The building shook violently, sending those in the restaurants, upper and lower floors to their knees. Elsa slammed into one of the Risk Water attendees; the building seemed to move a few feet before settling down again. They slammed into the ground, as tables and various other things tumbled to the ground. It took a few moments for everyone to get their bearings back and climb to their feet; it was dark, filling with smoke.

"What... what the hell was that?" Elsa turned to one of the other attendees, who held his sleeve to his mouth. She shrugged.

"I... I don't-"

"I don't know. It... it sounded like a... a bomb blast..." One of the waiters replied; he'd been there through the ninety-three attack, and remembered it well, how the building had swayed slightly. Once everyone had climbed to their feet, Christine began rushing about, giving orders.

"It's getting hard to breathe in here; we need to get down to the lower floor- Elsa!" The blonde turned to her. "I want you to take everyone down to the Horizon Suite on the floor below. Hurry! I'm gonna find the rest of the staff and make sure they're okay, and we'll be down as soon as we can." The younger woman nodded, and took the attendee's arm that she'd slammed into.

"Everyone..." She covered her mouth, coughing. "If you could follow me... we're gonna go... down to the lower floor..." She caught Christine's eye as she held the door open and quickly ushered the others in the restaurant into the lobby area. By the time they reached the one-hundred-sixth floor, Elsa was antsy. She needed to get ahold of her husband, her sister... let them know she was all right...

"Elsa!" She looked up. Christine and the rest of the staff rushed towards her.

"What's going on? Can we get out?"

"The elevators are burned out." Jonathan Briley, the auto-visual tech for the restaurant, replied, as he helped usher others into the room. Elsa glanced at the others, realization dawning. She swallowed, softly voicing what everyone else was afraid to acknowledge.

"We're... trapped."


	5. Chapter 5

**Rifiuto: Non Miriena**

_8:48 A.M._

_NYU Campus_

I didn't realize that everyone had soon gathered at the window, straining and struggling to catch a glimpse of whatever had happened. From this vantage point, all we could see was a gaping hole within the North Tower, thick, black smoke billowing up towards the sky. Questions started to ring in the air, but I heard none of them, my heart plummeting towards the ground as my gaze only focused on the direction the smoke was heading.

Up.

It was going towards the restaurants, situated on the hundred-sixth and hundred-seventh floors. My sister worked at Windows on the World, and knowing Elsa, she'd gotten up to the restaurant early, checked over everything for her conference, and then most likely went down to Wild Blue for coffee or something to eat.

"Cl... class is... you can all go..." I turned back to our professor, but her eyes were glued to the towers, tears filling her eyes. Before anyone else could move, I bolted from my desk, fleeing the campus, and rushing towards the towers, along with hundreds of others who had been drawn to the burning building before them.

_New York Fire Department_

_Ladder 7_

_8:50 A.M._

"Gear up, everyone! We've got a call out in the Financial District." Jack looked up as Jay Jonas, Captain of Ladder Company Six, came through the firehouse. The young fireman had been trying to call his wife, to let her know that he'd be late getting home from work, but that he'd pick the boys up and meet her and Anna at wherever the redhead wanted to eat that night. He hadn't been able to get through, but figured it was because she was working and had her phone turned off.

Quickly, he and the others geared up, and managed to clamber onto the engine before it peeled out of the firehouse, sirens blaring. Instantly, silence settled over them; all heads moved skyward, taking in the billowing black smoke belching from the gaping hole in Tower One. Instantly, he felt his heart stop; that was the north tower-

His_ wife_ was in _that tower_.

Once they reached the buildings, they all clambered off, grabbing their gear and rushing towards the building. Jack barely noticed as command posts were set up in the lower lobby of Tower One, he was more focused on the people coming down from the upper floors. Hundreds upon hundreds of people, some covered in smoke and soot, others barefoot, some clutching briefcases or purses or each other, some bloody, even a woman suffering from massive burns, but all seemed to be in shock. They rushed down the steps, fleeing for the doors.

"Not yet guys, they've had their orders, we haven't had ours yet!" Minutes passed, as the men wished each other good luck; several rushed up the steps, hurrying to get more people out. Captain Jonas grabbed Jack's arm, forcing him to stop. "Frost! We haven't gotten our orders to go up yet-" But he stopped, seeing the panic in Jack's blue eyes.

"My... my wife... my... Elsa... she's in the restaurant..." And then, without another word, Jack pulled away and followed his brethren up. But suddenly, they stopped, ordering others to silence.

Something heavy hit the ground, the resounding_ THUMP!_ echoing through the building. "What was that?" Jack shook his head. And then people started screaming; those that were fleeing were caught staring at whatever was hitting the ground.

_"That's not debris! Oh, God! They're jumping! Those are people! Oh God!"_

Jack felt his breath catch in horror. He looked towards the ceiling, the floors above them. How bad was it up there, that people were forced to jump? What if... what if his Elsa... He shook his head. No, Elsa was strong, she was brilliant. She could get herself out of sticky situations like no one else he knew. Elsa would find a way. She wouldn't jump. She'd find a way out. "We have to hurry! There are people we need to get out, come on!" And without another word, he dashed up the rest of the stairs, the others finally following.

_8:59 A.M._

_Floor 106_

_Horizon Suite_

"Get down on the ground! _Down on the ground, everyone_!" Elsa watched as people instantly followed her orders, clambering to get to the floor, holding napkins, scarves, even their own shirt sleeves to their noses to keep from inhaling smoke. She reached up, brushing strands of sticky blonde hair off her forehead. She couldn't see much, thanks to the grey smoke that had filled the room. Several of the staff and Risk Water Delegates had tried desperately to get to the roof, only to find the doors locked, denied access without a keycard. They had doused tablecloths and jackets and other articles made of cloth with some water, pressing them to the bottom of the doors to absorb the smoke, and it helped, even if only slightly.

She pressed her sleeve to her mouth and nose, taking slow, quick breaths. "Christine!" She moved through the tables, passed those crouching on the floor, towards her colleague, but stopped, overcome with smoke. "_Christine!_ We... need to... we have to... break a window... _something_... it's getting... harder to... breathe..." The older woman nodded, still holding the phone to her ear. Minutes passed, before,

_"Break a window, somebody! Elsa, break a window!"_ She nodded, turning to the others; several people stood, grabbing chairs and floor decorations and rushing to the windows. Minutes passed, minutes of banging, coughing, heavy breathing, before finally the sweet sound of glass breaking. Papers fluttered in the air, burnt and charred and some clean, dancing slowly towards the ground and the people below. Someone rushed to the now broken window, waved a white napkin, or handkerchief. A scream rang through the smoke, as the man holding the napkin disappeared through the jagged hole.

_9:03 A.M._

_Downtown Manhattan_

_Financial District_

I stood with hundreds of others, watching as smoke continued to billow out of the North Tower. People stood, recording the chaos with their phones and video cameras; others held each other. I could hear people praying, but mostly, they stood staring in shock. And then, I heard someone cry out.

_"Oh my God! He jumped!"_

But before I could even register the woman's words, the sound of something whooshing by caught my attention, and I looked once more towards the sky. Despite the black smoke, it was still beautiful and blue. I looked around, before turning back to the Trade Center.

In time to see a blast of smoke and flames burst out of the South Tower.


	6. Chapter 6

**Rifiuto: Non Miriena**

**Thanks to Guest for reviewing 1. **

_9:05 A.M._

_North Tower Stairwell_

Jack continued up the stairs; those going up and those going down stopped, grabbing onto each other as the building once more shook- all completely unaware that another plane had struck, this time, the South Tower. Once the crippled building settled, Jack turned back to those making their way down to safety. "Keep going! Everyone, keep moving!" After a moment, they did as told.

Satisfied that the line down had continued moving, Jack continued up. He stopped however, at the feel of something licking his hand, and looked down, to see a blonde Labrador licking his hand as he and his own made their way down. A guide dog. He gave the dog a pat on the head, smiling softly at the animal. "Good dog. Keep going. Get your partner out of here." The dog gave him one last lick on the hand, before continuing down with his owner.

Jack swallowed, watching the man and his dog before continuing on. When they got home, he'd talk to Elsa about getting a dog.

_9:10 A.M._

_Downtown Manhattan_

_Financial District_

On instinct, I punched my sister's number into my phone, waiting desperately for her to pick up. I couldn't take my eyes off the now burning South Tower- the same black smoke that billowed from the North Tower now billowed from the South, and I forced myself to swallow. All those people...

"Come on, Els. Pick up. _Pick up_!"

_"Hey, this is Elsa. I'm tied up with life right now and can't come to the phone, but if you leave me a message, I'll make sure to get back to you once life and I untangle."_

I let out a cry of annoyance, ending the call and immediately dialing again. I begged, prayed for her to pick up, and again, got her voicemail.

_"Hey, this is Elsa. I'm tied up with life right now..."_

Forcing myself to take a deep breath, I swallowed, never taking my eyes off the South Tower. "Els... Elsie... it's me... I... I'm standing on the street in the... f... Financial District and... a... a plane... a plane hit the North Tower and... and then... then just a few minutes ago... another plane... it hit the South Tower... Elsie, please... g... give me a call... let me know you're okay..." I ended the call in time to see more people come from the lobby of the South Tower.

"Are you okay?" I turned; a young African American woman stood by me, eyes just as filled with horror as mine. I met her gaze, and I could feel the tears sliding down my cheeks.

"My _sister_ is in that building..." She didn't say a word, she just wrapped her arms around me and pulled me close.

_9:20 A.M. _

_Floor 106_

_Horizon Suite_

_North Tower_

Elsa struggled to breathe; she'd never seen so much smoke in her life. It was getting harder to breathe, and in the last several minutes, since whatever had happened... happened, those she was trapped with had made calls to loved ones, to emergency personnel, to anyone they could think of, to let them know about the dire conditions they were facing on the top floors. They couldn't see their own hands in front of their faces, and they'd all taken to huddling together like puppies. Occasionally, someone would get up or crawl towards the window for air; sometimes they'd return, sometimes, they wouldn't.

She took a deep breath, and quickly dialed their home number, praying that Jack was home, that maybe school had been canceled and he'd picked up the boys, and that they were home, safe and sound. But all she heard was the answering machine.

She turned back to the others, huddled on the ground or by the windows, desperately struggling for air. Maybe Jack was busy; maybe he'd taken the boys to the park, or they'd gone to the store...

When the beep sounded, she swallowed. "Jack, baby, it's me..."

_9:15 A.M._

_North Tower Stairwell_

Jack kept silent, continuing to move up the stairwells, to get to survivors, every so often directing those moving down to keep going. He shifted his gear, and took a deep breath, continuing up, despite the smoke that met him and the others. Out of the corner of his eye, he studied the faces, the men and women, covered in soot and smoke, holding napkins or other articles of clothing to their mouths, holding hands. He searched, silently, studying each woman that passed by him, searching for his wife's beautiful blue eyes.

Her blonde hair, that little crease in the center of her forehead that appeared whenever she was worried about something, that small, upturned nose...

Each face would morph into hers and then change at the last moment. Each woman that passed by was Asian, African American, Hispanic, Caucasian... raven head, redhead, brunette... hazel eyes, brown eyes, violet, blue... every color and type except the one he wanted. Maybe she hadn't gotten down to this floor yet, or maybe she'd gotten out before the explosion and had picked the boys up at school, maybe they were safe at home.

He could only hope.

_9:25 A.M. _

_Downtown Manhattan_

_Financial District_

I covered my eyes, unable to watch, though the loud, heart-stopping sound was unmistakable. Jack had told her once about being unable to save a woman who'd jumped from a parking garage-

They were the sounds of bodies hitting the pavement.

_"Oh, God! What is going on up there?"_ I grabbed onto the woman beside me, digging my nails into her arm. _"My sister's in that building! She's in Windows! She's in the restaurant! What if she jumps?_ _What if she's one of them?_" All the woman did was pull me closer.

"That's not gonna happen. She'll be okay. All right? We have to think p... positive... she'll get out..." But I could hear the note in her voice, that even as she said the words, she didn't believe it at all.


	7. Chapter 7

**Rifiuto: Non Miriena**

_9:35 A.M._

_Floor 106_

_Horizon Suite_

_North Tower_

It was with shaky hands that Elsa punched the number for her sister's cellphone. She kept the napkin to her mouth as she waited for Anna to pick up. It had grown quiet; occasionally, there were a few coughs, a few voices, but mostly silence. Smoke had continued to billow in; whenever Elsa looked up, she would see someone at the window, before they disappeared, but she couldn't bring herself to even consider such an option.

_"Hi! You've reached Anna... I mean me... you've reached me... so, um... well, I can't come to the phone right now, obviously, but... you know, leave me a message, and I swear I will get back to you."_

Elsa took a deep breath, and at the sound of the beep-

"Ans... Anna... it... it's... m... it's me... Anna, listen... some... something happened, an explosion or... or a crash or something... something happened to the building... we... we're trapped in... on the... the hundred-sixth... floor of Tower One... we have... there's... thick... black... smoke... and it's getting... harder to breathe... Anna... I don't... I'm_ scared_... A... Anna... t... tell Nicky and... and Jakie... tell my boys that... that no matter what... happens... that I... I _love them_...and I will... always love them..." She swallowed. "And tell Jack... that I love him... and Anna... I... I love you... I love you, sis... ter... I..." She stopped, coughing. "_love you... Anna..."_

The phone beeped, ending the call, and she hung up. Still clutching her phone, she fell to her knees, crawling towards Christine, who reached out and took her hand, squeezing. She held the phone out, but the older woman shook her head.

_9:58 A.M._

_North Stairwell_

Jack grabbed onto the stairwell banister as the building began to shake. Cries of surprise and horror filled the stairwell, followed soon by heated dust and bits of debris. He turned, meeting one of his coworker's eyes. "What the _hell_ was that?"

No one realized the magnitude of the shaking.

_9:59 A.M._

_Downtown Manhattan_

_Financial District_

I looked up at the sound of rumbling. "What is that? What the hell is that?" But soon, people began screaming, running, yet all I could do was stand and stare. I had to be seeing things. That couldn't possibly be-

I'd seen high-rises go up in my nearly twelve years in Manhattan with my sister, and they always fascinated me, but never had I seen a building come down. It took me a moment to realize what was happening, that it was one of the towers falling-

The sound of floor hitting floor after floor began to ring through the air, followed by the sound of breaking steel and the rumble of... everything. It felt as though the world had broken in two, and the next thing I registered was the woman pulling me down the street. We fled, along with thousands of others. I glanced back, in time to see a huge dust cloud engulf the buildings we'd just left behind, coming towards us. And yet, all I could think, was that it was something out of a horror movie.

We ducked into a nearby building, slamming the door of the shop we'd dived into just as the cloud passed over us. I lost track of time, of how much time we spent within the small store, along with others, some covered in dust and smoke. When the dust finally settled, I rushed to the door. If that was my sister's building-

"Where are you going?" I turned back.

"I have to find my sister! If that was her building-" But an older man shook his head.

"It was the South Tower. The North is still standing." I felt a small twinge of relief, but only briefly. And then, I turned back.

"I have to find my sister... maybe... maybe she got out..."

"No! Wait!" I didn't realize that the woman who'd been comforting me for the last several minutes, had rushed after me.

_10:28 A.M._

_Floor 106 _

_Horizon Suite_

_North Tower_

It was nearly silent; those that had been breathing previously weren't anymore, thanks to the smoke. Those that were, their breathing was shallow, or they were quiet to preserve what little energy they had left. Elsa swallowed; Christine held to her hand, and the soft feel of her skin was a comfort. After a moment, Elsa moved away from the older woman, crawling slowly towards the broken window- she couldn't stand the smoke anymore. The floor was hot beneath her palms and knees, and the air was acrid, so black it looked like night.

For a few brief seconds, Elsa could imagine she was home in bed, safe in Jack's arms, tangled in the covers. For a few seconds, she could imagine that she was putting her boys to bed, reading them stories, or sitting up, talking with Anna about whatever was on the girl's mind. Her palm reached up; she didn't even feel the sharp bite of the glass as it cut into her skin, though the soft pale flesh was soon colored red. She turned, catching the eye of one of the women from the conference. She stood beside the young hostess, eyes shining, and for the briefest of moments, they locked gazes. And then, Elsa leaned against the window frame, watching as the woman stepped through the broken glass.

She watched until she could no longer see the woman, until she could see nothing but the smoke and the sky and... nothing. Slowly, she glanced back at the others in the room; it was quiet, any hope of rescue had faded long ago, and most had given up. Some had already succumbed to the smoke, others had disappeared through the broken glass, only to be captured on video and photo as they made their descents.

Elsa took a deep breath, turning back to the broken window. Did it hurt? Did it sting, making impact with the ground at such a rapid speed? Or, she thought, would it fee like flying?

_10:28 A.M._

_Downtown Manhattan_

_Financial District_

I didn't register anything but the fear; I and hundreds of others that had returned stood watching the tower. I'd seen hundreds of skyscrapers go up in the twelve years I'd been in New York, but I'd never seen one come down- until now. I didn't register anything, until I heard the familiar cracking of metal and smacking of floors, one on to of the other, like a game of Jacob's Ladder. As soon as the top floors began to go, smacking one on top of the other, I knew that those on those floors- the patrons, the restaurants, the staff... I knew, instantly-

_"Elsa! NO! ELSA!"_

I didn't register the woman grabbing me around the waist, only the sight of the tower collapsing in on itself, much as the South Tower had before it. People fled from the tower, survivors that had made it in time, rushing past me, along with the hundreds of others that had returned and now fled, but I tried to stay. I tried to rush to the collapsing tower, even as the woman and someone else- a police officer- tugged me away.

_"NO! THAT'S MY SISTER! ELSA!"_

But when I looked back over my shoulder, all that was left of the North Tower- the tower that my sister had worked in, the tower that I had found so fascinating, the tower that for the last... hour or two... had been the center of my universe- was a raging cloud of grey dust, ash, atomized human and debris.


End file.
